


Resurrected Light

by Kalloway



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21911881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: Post-Showdown, as the universe is created anew.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 37
Collections: The Lemonade Cafe





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Barbara Manning's cover of Amon Duul's song of the same name. 
> 
> 2003\. 
> 
> _"put on your armor/come with me/there's a universe/waiting to be free"_
> 
> _"I am the resurrected light"_

Cloud was tired. Fully, physically, mentally, emotionally tired.

They'd been fighting for what felt like hours, neither one any closer to winning, losing, anything. The sky was black now, devoid of stars. The arena was barely lit, but they could see each other perfectly, eyes glittering in the darkness.

'You are my darkness.'

The words echoed in Cloud's head, filling in the rest, wanting to scream it out loud.

'You are my darkness. You are my light. You are my everything. And I'm tired.'

Sephiroth had held out his hand.

He was tired of this consuming his life. What life? Was it even life, this nightmare?

'I was searching for you too.'

Were they even still fighting? Their weapons sounded each hit against one another in what seemed to be a carefully choreographed dance.

He was bleeding, but he wasn't sure even where from. It didn't matter. He didn't even feel the pain any more.

They broke apart, landing about ten feet away from each other. Still - almost a sword's reach.

Sephiroth sprung, swinging Masamune through the air, but Cloud didn't block. He just closed his eyes.

So tired.

What did it matter any more?

So tired.

Cold metal bit into his neck, but... He was still alive?

Cloud opened his eyes, staring up into Sephiroth's own green cat's eyes just inches away. He had the oddest look on his face.

Almost like... Like he was concerned that Cloud was letting him stand there, Masamune between them and just barely cutting into his throat. Just enough for a thin layer of blood to start trickling down beneath the blade.

They stayed that way, staring at each other, silent.

"Just finish it," Cloud whispered, dropping his own sword to prove he meant it. "I'm tired."

"Cloud? Sephiroth's voice sounded almost gentle with its confusion. Still, it was a surprise when he stepped back and lowered Masamune.

And then Cloud bit back a confused gasp as one black-gloved finger reached to touch the wound, holding his finger there to make sure it healed.

With a touch? That's right... Heal, regenerate, become... stronger.

Cloud closed his eyes again, not opening them again until he heard a startled gasp from Sephiroth.

The sky had exploded above them. It was almost blinding as they looked upward together. Sephiroth's hand fell to Cloud's shoulder as they watched the darkness fill with thousands of brilliant stars. Glittering dust rained down onto them both, making them look more ethereal than they already had.

Cloud looked away from the heavens to Sephiroth, captivated by the sparkling flecks of stardust that covered the man.

Unconsciously, the blonde reached to touch the glittering layer that now covered Sephiroth's chest, gasping softly as it disappeared under his fingers.

Again, their eyes met, regarding each other curiously as their hands moved to touch one another's faces.

"Sephiroth."

Instead of words, Sephiroth just kissed him. The universe was being recreated above them, around them, but neither cared.

Cloud felt Sephiroth's hands touching him, searching out injuries and healing them even as their tongues twined.

Finally, Sephiroth pulled back, stardust glittering in his hair. And he held out his hand.

"Come with me."

Cloud nodded and accepted. He didn't feel quite as tired. But everything was spinning, sparkling and spinning out of control...

Sephiroth grabbed for Cloud as he collapsed and caught him just before he hit the ground.

"Cloud?"

After gently lowering Cloud to the arena floor, Sephiroth pulled his hands back. Blood dripped from them and thanks to the new starlight shining on them, he could see where blood had soaked through Cloud's clothing.

How had he missed such a major wound?

"Cloud?"

Was Cloud still breathing?

"No... Cloud..."


	2. Chapter 2

Sephiroth was still on his knees as he pulled Cloud's limp body to his, just holding him tightly for a moment before phasing them both out of the arena. Only sparkling glitter fell in their wake, sticking a moment to the blood on the ground before disappearing entirely.

"Cloud?"

He'd managed to breath life back into Cloud's body before setting to the task of finding the elusive wound that was currently covering his sheets with bright red blood.

Straight from his heart.

A soft moan came from between Cloud's lips as Sephiroth tugged at the tattered red cloak around his upper half. Stardust fell from it, making the black sheets shine for a couple seconds before Sephiroth shifted both of their bodies, causing the to glitter pool and vanish.

With the cloak thrown aside, Sephiroth pondered a moment over how to pull Cloud's blue uniform top over his head, arms, and wing. Cloud was in no condition to help him with the task, but at least now his shallow breathing was an indicator he was alive.

"Cloud... I have to get your clothes off. Can you hear me? I need to move you, and your wing," Sephiroth whispered, mouth close to Cloud's ear as he slid his hands up the blonde's chest underneath the battered blue fabric.

Cloud's wing... Sephiroth paused with his hands halfway up Cloud's chest then slowly pulled away. He hadn't even thought to look for injury on Cloud's complimentary wing.

A moment later Cloud had been gently eased over onto his stomach so Sephiroth could spread his much-too-bloody wing. Sure enough, the deadly wound was right at the wing's base, probably a main blood supply for the appendage.

"I don't even remember hitting you here," Sephiroth murmured as he quickly set about healing the deep gash. Cloud let out a soft moan in reply and twitched slightly when Sephiroth finally pulled his hands away.

Still, after looking Cloud over, he wasn't sure he'd gotten every injury. Even a couple tiny wing bones had been crushed and he'd almost missed those. There was so much blood covering them both.

"I need to get you - us - cleaned up. Okay, Cloud?" Sephiroth did his best to carefully pick Cloud up, but he was like dead weight. In the end, Sephiroth ended up throwing Cloud over his left shoulder, not caring for the short walk to his bathroom.

Thankfully he'd signed a contract including a private bathroom with a nice large tub. As quickly and painlessly as he could, Sephiroth dumped Cloud onto the tile floor and quickly turned on the taps.

Cloud made a noise of protest when Sephiroth slid his hands up under that blue fabric again, but instead of worrying about the difficulty of undressing the him, Sephiroth simple tore the old uniform top off and started pulling at the more than half-dozen belts decorating Cloud's lower half.

"Seph..."

Sephiroth looked up to Cloud's face. Dim blue eyes were watching his every move.

"You're out of practice, Strife." Hands worked quickly at the belts, undoing them all in a matter of seconds.

"You're... a god?"

Sephiroth silenced his patient with a kiss before moving down to take care of Cloud's shoes.

In a matter of moments, Sephiroth had him naked and sprawled powerless across the off-white tile floor. Sephiroth then pulled off his own jacket and threw it towards the door back to his suite before grabbing a washcloth and getting it wet.

"I'm just going to clean the blood off of you," he explained. "I need to see if you're still bleeding. You've lost too much blood, you know."

Cloud winced at the water, but held still, letting his eyes fall shut. Still, Sephiroth stayed true to his statement, repeatedly rinsing the now dark-red washcloth and trying to look over Cloud. Both the floor and Sephiroth were getting soaked as Sephiroth pulled Cloud onto his lap and held him while cleaning his back.

"Seph... Why?"

Sephiroth didn't answer until he was pulling off his own clothing and putting the stopper in the over-sized marble tub.

"I'll tell you later."

Cloud just nodded as Sephiroth again picked him up and carried him to the tub. He was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open, even as he was lowered into the hot water. It took him a few minutes to realize Sephiroth was holding him awkwardly up even as he did his best to scrub traces of stardust from the both of them.

And Cloud didn't even notice the row of kisses left across his collarbones by Sephiroth. He was delirious and semi-conscious again by the time Sephiroth struggled to dry them both off at the same time.

Sephiroth only sighed softly as he settled Cloud, wrapped in towels, on a small sofa while trying to find clean enough blankets for them to sleep under.

* * *

Cloud awoke with daylight pouring across the pair. And pain. He winced as he tried to move enough to even figure out where he was.

"Good Morning."

Cloud rolled quicker than he should have only to find himself just about nose to nose with Sephiroth. His eyes grew wide as he tried to back away, only to find himself too exhausted and pain-ridden to move.

"Sephiroth?"

"Just rest. I was able to take care of most of your injuries but I'll assume you are still in quite a bit of pain?" Sephiroth reached to run one bare hand up Cloud's spine sending shivers through Cloud as he spoke. Cloud just closed his eyes and nodded, enjoying the touch as much as he wanted to pull away.

Yet he'd been kissing Sephiroth, hadn't he? He'd found what he had thought was gone forever.

And suddenly Sephiroth was kissing him again, reaffirming that Cloud had indeed found his light. But before Cloud could even move his body into the kiss, Sephiroth pulled away, sitting up on the bed and looking down at Cloud.

"Would you like to go back to sleep?" Sephiroth asked. "I can arrange that. I'm sure you're in no condition for anything else."

Cloud asked the same question he had the night before.

"Why... Why didn't you let me die?"

Sephiroth just smiled and tucked the covers over the blonde before readying a sleep spell.

"I'll tell you later."


	3. Chapter 3

Cloud awoke sometime later, his body in slightly less amount of agony, but now he seemed to have lost his voice. He desperately needed something to drink and Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen.

Trying not to wince, he managed to uncover himself and sit upright. Naked. Sephiroth had left him naked. And weak. He felt almost overpoweringly dizzy and exhausted from the small task he'd just performed.

According to Sephiroth, he had lost quite a bit of blood. Still, the cure spells should have helped more. Unless, Cloud realized, he really had been hurt that badly. He couldn't remember.

And everything was spinning.

A moment after he sank back onto bed, a shadow passed across his vision.

"Leaving so soon?"

Cloud shook his head and formed a weak smile as Sephiroth helped lean up against the headboard and offered him a glass of water.

Still, he wasn't going to say thank you.

"Are you feeling any better?" Sephiroth pulled a chair from across the room and sat down beside the bed.

"No."

"Just give it time. You will." Sephiroth reached a hand out to brush Cloud's hair back from his face and feel for a fever.

"I don't just want to lay here," Cloud replied once the hand was pulled away.

"Tomorrow," Sephiroth replied as he stood. "Rest today and you can go anywhere you'd like tomorrow."

"But I'm not tired."

"Yes you are. You need to rest," Sephiroth said as he walked around the bed and climbed onto the other side.

"You sound like my mother," Cloud shot back, biting back a bit of anger he thought he'd gotten past.

Sephiroth just laughed softly as he took the almost-empty glass of water from Cloud and leaned over to set it on the bedside table. Cloud just froze as Sephiroth then settled in next to him and started running his fingers through Cloud's hair.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked, his eyes meeting Sephiroth's for a moment.

"Distracting you, Strife," Sephiroth replied before quickly ambushing Cloud with a sleep spell.

* * *

When Cloud woke again the light in the room was dim enough to tell him that it was evening already. And he was very, very warm.

A moment later he realized that was due to the fact that he was sprawled between the blankets, which had been pulled over him at some point, and Sephiroth. After another awkward moment that involved determining that he was, in fact, still naked, he realized that Sephiroth was still awake and keeping watch over him. In fact, Sephiroth was still slowly running his fingers through Cloud's unruly spikes, as he must have been for several hours.

"You've been here the whole time?" Cloud asked, shifting as best he could to look up into the glowing green eyes that watched him.

" Yes," Sephiroth replied, smiling a bit wider as he maneuvered enough to meet Cloud's lips with his own.

"Why?"

"To keep you from trying to leave without me."

Cloud didn't reply. Instead he was paying more attention to the hand that trailed down his back, tracing his spine and his wing in a hypnotic pattern. With a glance he realized Sephiroth was lying on his own wing in a position that had to be painful after so many hours.

"Seph..." But he was cut off again with kisses that were quickly becoming more involved. Cloud found himself moaning into Sephiroth's mouth, begging for more as he reached up to tangle his hands in Sephiroth's silver hair. It was perfect, except for the fatigue that was setting in quickly.

* * *

Sephiroth kept his word. The next morning, after a couple rather awkward minutes during which Cloud realized they'd most likely both been naked all night, Sephiroth had found them both suitable clothing for a quick walk through and around the labyrinthine Coliseum.

Cloud spent at least another few minutes trying to remember if he'd ever seen Sephiroth in anything other than his usual uniform or, well, naked. He still wasn't sure, but he stopped straining his brain as Sephiroth performed some quick alterations on a spare shirt to accommodate his wing.

The clothing Sephiroth had given him hung off his smaller frame, but Cloud didn't much mind. Once on his feet, he realized he felt several thousand times better than he had the day before. He still had a touch of dizziness, but it was offset by his desire to stretch his body and move around.

"Ready to go?" Cloud hadn't even noticed Sephiroth slip behind him until arms wrapped around his mid-section and help him tightly. Cloud just nodded. Besides a quick kiss first thing in the morning, Sephiroth had barely touched him. He was starting to wonder if they were both a bit confused about just how to follow through on the relationship that had ended more than six years ago.

They walked along an outer corridor in silence, each seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Still, Cloud noticed, Sephiroth kept close and with a hand outstretched in case Cloud wasn't as sure on his feet as he thought he was.

After another couple minutes of walking, they found themselves in one of the smaller practice arenas.

"This is perfect," Sephiroth said after appraising the space. Instead of the standard clear plane, this arena had an uneven floor filled with columns and barrels.

"For what?" Cloud asked, looking around.

"For you to train in, of course."

"What?!" Cloud had his eyes on Sephiroth in a heartbeat.

"You obviously need a bit more practice."

Cloud just grumbled under his breath before stalking away. Leave it to Sephiroth to add insult to injury. Still, he was a bit surprised to find that he wasn't being followed. After a couple of turns and forks in the corridor, he managed to make it back to his own room. He quickly pulled off the clothing he'd borrowed and stood naked as he sorted through his own clothing to find something to wear.

Still, as he stood there, holding up a faded black shirt, strong arms wrapped around him again and silver hair spilled over his right shoulder.

"Sephiroth..."

"What is it, Strife?" he replied as he let his hands trace lower for the first time in years. "I daresay you're recovered enough for a bit of... physical exertion."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're too used to getting what you want," Cloud said as he pushed Sephiroth's hands away. "I'm still trying to convince myself that you're the Sephiroth I knew... back then."

"That hurts. Didn't you stop to think that I may have a few issues with you?"

"Like what?" Cloud asked, pulling clothing quickly onto his body.

"We both pulled our weapons in defense," Sephiroth explained. "I... was trying to figure out just how you felt and how far you'd fallen into the same darkness that was enveloping me."

Cloud didn't say a word as he watched Sephiroth pace the short length of the room.

"So?" Cloud asked finally, breaking the silence.

"So are we friends, enemies, lovers, or something else entirely?" Sephiroth replied, pausing to stand his ground between Cloud and the wall.

"You're the one intent on having me naked beside you."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Even with you as an enemy, I'll care for you just the same when you're injured."

"But why?" Cloud questioned, walking to Sephiroth and looking up into green eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, Cloud?"

"Stop answering my questions with questions!"

Stepping forward, Sephiroth pulled Cloud into a loose embrace, letting Cloud press to his body instead of forcing him.

"Cloud, I need you."

* * *

Sephiroth smiled at Cloud, holding Cloud's hips to still him just a moment. He hadn't remembered Cloud to be quite so receptive and sensitive, but he was enjoying every moment of it. Each movement and moan from the body beneath his was repayment enough for the last couple days of lost sleep.

Cloud barely winced at the penetration, his eyes half-open and watching Sephiroth. He knew they may never be conventional lovers, but what flowed between them was something more, something stronger.

With each thrust, their positions unconsciously changed slightly until Sephiroth found himself chest to chest with Cloud, his mouth just inches away from Cloud's.

And as they were caught in a passionate kiss, bodies moving together, bliss overtook them, leaving them both gasping for breath in the other's arms.

Still a bit weak, Cloud fell asleep quickly. As gently as he could, Sephiroth pulled blankets over them both before running his fingers through Cloud's hair.

"You are the only one strong enough to compete with me, Strife. There would be nothing for me without you."


End file.
